80GB of data .. lost all of it ..
was not able to retrieve even 1 bit.
And I mean it. Not a tiny, single
bit left.
So these days, I am guilt ridden
and also these days, I am coping with a huge loss. A huge, huge data loss.
Every time, I called up the
vendor in the last few days, he asked me if whatever data I had was important.
A simple yes no question … just
that it left me speechless.
I tried to remember what all I had
in it. The more I remembered, the more it hurt.
Generously helped by friends and
colleagues, I had been able to lay my hands on some complete discographies. Are
they important?
Then there were e-books. The ones
that I had read and the ones that I was planning to read. Are they important?
The audio and textual versions of
the Punjabi and Hindi sacred texts. Some of them were rare. Some of them were
favourites. Can I risk losing those?
The study material. The presentations,
the minor and major project reports, the survey results. The topics that I could
not find in my photostated notes. Will I need them at some point? Do I have
them all in my mails?
The pictures with family, with
relatives, with friends, the pictures of the college days, the Bangalore days,
the Shimla days. How will I ever get those moments back?
My experiments with C, C++ and
HTML. How much time will it take to re-write them?
The crotchet patterns, the
mobious that I had thought of knitting. Were not they the choicest? Will I be
able to find alternate designs well in time?
With one simple question it all
came back. The time and the effort expended in those downloads, the
contributions from loved ones, the learning that came slowly and gradually … and
it all seemed important. Extermely important. And I wanted it back. All of it.
But the doctor had already given
the final verdict for his patient. To cure the disease, they would have to kill
the patient. All he needed was my sanction, my approval.
Silently, I watched my old hard
disk being laid to rest. And I heard my vendor ordering a new one for me. He
assured me the system would get a new life in a few days.
And that will get me busy again.
Till then, I am trying to come to
terms with the 80GB loss.
